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Friday, May 8, 2015

Whey: Can It Prevent Obesity and Diabetes? by Jerry Brainum

Some bodybuilders never use protein supplements, preferring instead
to get all their protein from food sources, such as meat, fish and eggs.
Their view is backed by most mainstream dietitians, who note
that it’s
not difficult to get all the protein you need to build muscle just from
eating food.

In fact, most people eat more protein than they need. Since
protein contains four calories per gram—the same as carbohydrate—it’s
possible for those who are sedentary to gain some bodyfat by eating
large amounts of protein, especially if they also eat too much fat and
carbohydrate. That scenario is unlikely in those who are physically
active. Their excess protein is oxidized in the liver, with the nitrogen
portion converted into urea and then excreted through the kidneys.

So no one argues that it’s easy to get enough protein from various
high-protein foods, but does that mean that additional supplements
aren’t necessary? For one thing, most protein foods also contain
appreciable amounts of either fat and/or carbohydrate. That is a concern
for those seeking to lose bodyfat, since every calorie does
count—contrary to what some so-called experts say. With concentrated
protein supplements you get a source of high protein minus the excess
calories. In addition, some people either won’t or can’t eat several
high-protein meals a day. Having a source of protein that they can eat
on the go is not just a convenience, it’s a necessity.

In recent years milk proteins have been shown to rate the highest in
biological value over other sources, such as meat, soy and even eggs.
The two primary proteins in milk are casein, which accounts for 80
percent of milk protein, and whey, which is the remaining 20 percent.

Anyone who has kept up with the research on milk protein knows that
the two have different absorption properties. Whey is rapidly absorbed,
since it stays in solution during the digestive process. Whey uptake
peaks at about 60 minutes after ingestion and then declines to baseline
after about 90 minutes. The advantage is that the rapid absorption also
favors a speedy release of essential amino acids into the blood and
muscle, which encourages muscle protein synthesis, the cornerstone of
muscle growth.

In contrast, casein curdles in the stomach after you eat it. It looks
like cottage cheese, which is mostly casein. The curdling effect favors
a more sustained release of aminos over a period of up to seven hours.
Initial research that compared whey and casein found that the rapid
uptake and release of essential aminos from whey more reliably
stimulated muscle protein synthesis, while the slow release of casein
promoted a steady trickle into the blood over a longer time, which
favored a blunting of muscle catabolism, or breakdown.

It’s not hard to understand how the properties of the two milk
proteins significantly benefit bodybuilding trainees; however, there’s
far more to milk protein than being a superior source of amino acids.
Research shows that besides casein and whey, there are smaller proteins,
known as bioactive peptides, in milk that may provide amazing health
benefits. I say may because the research is still in its infancy, and
all the data haven’t been collected yet.

The scientific method decrees that a finding must be replicated
numerous times and under varied conditions before it’s officially
accepted as fact. Thus far, most of the research on milk bioactive
peptides has involved animals. The good news is that the same mechanisms
that allow them to produce their beneficial effects in animals also
exist in the human body.

Bioactive peptides are small chains of amino acids linked in a
specific formation. While casein contains some, whey is a powerhouse
source. Just a day before I wrote this a new study found that one of those peptides has potent protective effects against cancer. Earlier
studies showed that because of whey’s high content of the amino acid
cysteine, it can be a precursor of glutathione, a major antioxidant in
the body. A form of whey is used to prevent the loss of lean mass in
cancer patients and those afflicted with HIV.

More pertinent to bodybuilders is the effect of whey on body composition. The
process of digesting and absorbing proteins is energy intensive; that
is, it uses calories. In fact, it uses more calories to digest and
absorb proteins than either fats or carbs. Calories not used in
power movement or muscle function are diverted to heat production, a
process known as thermogenesis. That term may be familiar to those who
use various “fat-burning” supplements, since nearly all of them work by
promoting a thermogenic effect: converting fat calories into heat.

Compared to other proteins, such as casein and soy, whey has a
greater thermogenic effect, which is attributed to the rapid protein
synthesis it triggers, as mentioned above. The rate of protein synthesis produced by whey is twice that of casein, again because of whey’s rapid release of amino acids.
The branched-chain amino acid leucine is considered the key amino in
muscle protein synthesis, and whey contains 50 to 75 percent more
leucine than other protein sources.

Whey may also aid fat loss through its effect on insulin. Many people
are confused about insulin. Some worry that it can trigger excess fat
production in the presence of excess calories, especially from
carbohydrates, but insulin has other properties that are beneficial.
It’s also required for cellular uptake of glucose, the elemental form of
sugar in the blood. Without proper insulin function, you would have
diabetes. Also on the plus side, insulin is known to favor amino acid
uptake in muscle and prevent catabolism. In addition, it stimulates the
activity of enzymes that produce glycogen from carbs and other sources.
Glycogen is required for full muscle recovery after training and also
powers anaerobic training, which includes bodybuilding workouts.

Milk protein is a potent stimulus for insulin release, but it’s not a
bad thing. The release is within physiological limits and so does not
encourage bodyfat synthesis. One study found that only 20 grams of whey
protein stimulated enough insulin release to significantly lower
elevated blood glucose. In another involving diabetics—who lack proper
insulin activity—the subject were fed meals high in rapidly absorbed and
digested carbohydrates, but some also got whey at the same meal. Adding
whey to the carb meal led to a 57 percent greater insulin release and a
smaller drop in glucose after the meal.

Although it isn’t precisely known how whey favors an insulin release,
its amino acid content, particularly the high leucine mentioned above,
is a chief suspect. Leucine alone is known to stimulate insulin release
in the pancreas through at least two mechanisms, one of which involves a
metabolite of leucine.

More recent research shows that whey also affects insulin release by
promoting the release of gut peptides known as “incretins.” In one
study, consuming a whey drink stimulated an 80 percent greater release
of gastric inhibitory peptide, which itself encourages insulin release.
Whey also promotes the release of another gut peptide called
glucagon-like peptide-1 that encourages insulin release and has the side
benefit of curtailing appetite. That may explain how whey helps
suppress appetite during a diet. Both of the peptides are degraded in
the gut via an enzyme that is blunted by whey protein. Recently, a few
drugs that treat diabetes were released, all of which block the same
enzyme. Unlike whey, however, the drugs are linked to pancreatitis, an
inflammation of the pancreas, as well as possible pancreatic cancer, the
most deadly cancer of all.

In relation to appetite, it’s once again the fast amino release induced by whey that produces an appetite-suppressive effect. Studies
with animals show that leucine can rapidly enter the brain, where it
induces appetite suppression. The mechanism is thought to involve a
blunting of the release of appetite-stimulating peptides in the brain.
The release of insulin induced by whey also potently depresses appetite,
mostly because whey blunts the release of ghrelin, a protein that is the most potent appetite-stimulating substance in the body.
Ghrelin rises a few hours after a meal and produces intense hunger
sensations. It’s not hard to understand how controlling it would aid
dieting efforts.

So the combination of a controlled insulin release, the stimulation
of gut peptides that promote insulin and the blunting of proteins in the
brain that trigger appetite make whey a valuable asset if you’re
looking to build muscle and lose excess bodyfat.

Have you been ripped off by supplement makers whose products don’t
work as advertised? Want to know the truth about them? Check out Jerry Brainum's book Natural Anabolics, available at JerryBrainum.com.

The Applied Ergogenics blog is a collection of articles written and
published by Jerry Brainum over the past 20 years. These articles have appeared
in Muscle and Fitness, Ironman, and other magazines. Many of the posts on the
blog are original articles, having appeared here for the first time. For Jerry’s
most recent articles, which are far more in depth than anything that appears on
this blog site, please subscribe to his Applied Metabolics Newsletter, at www.appliedmetabolics.com. This
newsletter, which is more correctly referred to as a monthly e-book, since its
average length is 35 to 40 pages, contains the latest findings about nutrition,
exercise science, fat-loss, anti-aging, ergogenic aids, food supplements, and
other topics. For 33 cents a day you get the benefit of Jerry’s 53 years of
writing and intense study of all matters pertaining to fitness,health,
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